he approaches me and gently lifts my chin with one finger, making me look at him.
"You look just like her," he tells me in Italian.
I'm too scared to reply. My eyes are glassy and enormous as I stare into his cold and lifeless ones.
"W-who?" I finally manage to stammer.
He doesn't reply. Instead, he leaves the room. I start to breathe normally again, but before I can get used to the feeling, he's already back with a wooden chair. He sits down in front of me, his hands clasped in his lap.
"You realize you're going to die," he says nonchalantly. My breath catches in my throat. I shake my head no. "Oh, it's not up for debate. You will die. It'll just take a while for me to decide how."
He cracks his knuckles, wearing a stoic expression on his face. My heart is about to burst right out of my chest. "Your father ruined my life. I've been making him pay for years now."
I think of all the damage the Abbate family has done to the Da Costas. All the people they've killed over the years. So many sons, so many daughters. So many innocents.
"Haven't you ever wondered why your father never retaliated?" Angelo Abbate wonders out loud. "Ever thought about the fact that while he tried to protect you all, he never came after me?"
I think back. Despite the bloodcurdling fear in my veins, I'm trying to follow along with the conversation.
It's true.
The Abbates have been ruining our lives for more than fifteen years. And while my father fought hard to protect us from harm, our family never retaliated against the Abbates. I don't know why, and I doubt I will ever find out.
"Ah, I see the light bulb shining above your head," Abbate mocks me. "Finally figured it out, did you sweetheart?"
"W-why did he never strike back?" I stutter over my words.
"Ah. Not as close as I thought." Abbate gives me a curious look. "Your father really kept you in the dark. What a strange thought. I would've thought you knew everything. My children do."
I give him a blank look and he smiles slowly. "So clueless," he says gently, reaching out for me. I'm too stunned to move away, and he tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
"Are you going t-to tell me what you're talking about?" I ask in a shaky voice. I'm feeling brave all of a sudden. I need to know what this is all about if I want to come to the bottom of it.
"No," Abbate says simply. "You'll find out at some point, but not from me."
With that, he gets up from his chair as abruptly as he sat down on it. He eyes me with interest, like he's wondering about something. It's making me uncomfortable as hell. At least his eyes aren't stripping me naked, like the men before did. But it's more inquisitive, and for some reason, it makes me feel even more vulnerable.
"Sweet dreams, Bianca," Abbate tells me. After a moment's thought, he leans down next to me and presses a kiss against my forehead. I thought I would've recoiled from his touch, but instead, I lean into it. It feels comforting, like the loving kiss of a father. I wonder why he just did that.
He leaves me in the dark, shutting the door after him when he leaves. I shiver on my spot on the floor, feeling vulnerable and scared.
After a minute or so, the lights flicker on in the cell. And then I hear him leaving, finally.
Why did he just do that?
6
Matteo
I haven't been able to get my mind off the imprisoned princess. It's like she's affected every working cell in my body, and every part of me throbs with need when I think of her. But I don't have time for such frivolous fantasies today. I have to meet my father. He has summoned me to his office, and a gut feeling tells me this isn't going to be good.
I wake up bright and early and do my morning workout. I'm as brutal on my own body as I am on those of my enemies, pushing myself to the edge and then free-falling over it every fucking time. I need to be strong to live with the cards I've been dealt. There is no place for weaklings in the mafia.
After a cold shower, filled with thoughts of our
"You look just like her," he tells me in Italian.
I'm too scared to reply. My eyes are glassy and enormous as I stare into his cold and lifeless ones.
"W-who?" I finally manage to stammer.
He doesn't reply. Instead, he leaves the room. I start to breathe normally again, but before I can get used to the feeling, he's already back with a wooden chair. He sits down in front of me, his hands clasped in his lap.
"You realize you're going to die," he says nonchalantly. My breath catches in my throat. I shake my head no. "Oh, it's not up for debate. You will die. It'll just take a while for me to decide how."
He cracks his knuckles, wearing a stoic expression on his face. My heart is about to burst right out of my chest. "Your father ruined my life. I've been making him pay for years now."
I think of all the damage the Abbate family has done to the Da Costas. All the people they've killed over the years. So many sons, so many daughters. So many innocents.
"Haven't you ever wondered why your father never retaliated?" Angelo Abbate wonders out loud. "Ever thought about the fact that while he tried to protect you all, he never came after me?"
I think back. Despite the bloodcurdling fear in my veins, I'm trying to follow along with the conversation.
It's true.
The Abbates have been ruining our lives for more than fifteen years. And while my father fought hard to protect us from harm, our family never retaliated against the Abbates. I don't know why, and I doubt I will ever find out.
"Ah, I see the light bulb shining above your head," Abbate mocks me. "Finally figured it out, did you sweetheart?"
"W-why did he never strike back?" I stutter over my words.
"Ah. Not as close as I thought." Abbate gives me a curious look. "Your father really kept you in the dark. What a strange thought. I would've thought you knew everything. My children do."
I give him a blank look and he smiles slowly. "So clueless," he says gently, reaching out for me. I'm too stunned to move away, and he tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
"Are you going t-to tell me what you're talking about?" I ask in a shaky voice. I'm feeling brave all of a sudden. I need to know what this is all about if I want to come to the bottom of it.
"No," Abbate says simply. "You'll find out at some point, but not from me."
With that, he gets up from his chair as abruptly as he sat down on it. He eyes me with interest, like he's wondering about something. It's making me uncomfortable as hell. At least his eyes aren't stripping me naked, like the men before did. But it's more inquisitive, and for some reason, it makes me feel even more vulnerable.
"Sweet dreams, Bianca," Abbate tells me. After a moment's thought, he leans down next to me and presses a kiss against my forehead. I thought I would've recoiled from his touch, but instead, I lean into it. It feels comforting, like the loving kiss of a father. I wonder why he just did that.
He leaves me in the dark, shutting the door after him when he leaves. I shiver on my spot on the floor, feeling vulnerable and scared.
After a minute or so, the lights flicker on in the cell. And then I hear him leaving, finally.
Why did he just do that?
6
Matteo
I haven't been able to get my mind off the imprisoned princess. It's like she's affected every working cell in my body, and every part of me throbs with need when I think of her. But I don't have time for such frivolous fantasies today. I have to meet my father. He has summoned me to his office, and a gut feeling tells me this isn't going to be good.
I wake up bright and early and do my morning workout. I'm as brutal on my own body as I am on those of my enemies, pushing myself to the edge and then free-falling over it every fucking time. I need to be strong to live with the cards I've been dealt. There is no place for weaklings in the mafia.
After a cold shower, filled with thoughts of our
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